I just downloaded the game tonight, the powerups, level upping and whatnot seem a bit complex so far but I had a lot of fun just bombing around the map, did a couple of 1 player races which were far too easy, seems to run well on my PC though.
Couple of initial questions hoping you guys can help me with:
1. I know it supports a USB controller but analog too? Else I will just stick to the keyboard.
2. What's with the "shards", guessing this is just US or Euro servers so say if I wanted to race you guys I would need to be on the same server?
3. Can you only view better cars in the dealership when you can afford them? I could only view like 6 or so cars, and a couple of these were only available at a higher level and/or for cash (not planning to pump a single penny into this)
Cheers!
In reply...
1. I have never used one for the game, so I can't answer you
2. Yep, players who use the US server will only see the players who use the same US server, and same applies to the EU servers and players
3. No, every single car (or maybe most, as some cars can only be bought when you buy SpeedBoosts, e.g. the Ford Crown Victoria cop car) that can be bought in the game are already shown in the dealerships, so you'll only have to switch through different Tier levels, manufacturers and car models to find the suitable car for you (Note that a car, with different colours, can be bought with either SpeedBoosts or in-game cash. Just look at the Lexus IS350, and you'll know what I mean

)
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...and anybody who says High Stakes is easier than Underground shall be
damned! 
, as there are (a lot) more cops (Tanker Challengers, to be precise

) in High Stakes than Underground, and it just isn't possible for you to escape with those cops behind you, they will ram you into the walls!
